Jerusalem Post fires Larry Derfner over blog post

The Jerusalem Post fired its last prominent progressive columnist over a controversial blog post, without even offering him the possibility to apologise; meanwhile, its ultra-right writers enjoy complete unaccountability. This is a watershed moment for the once-respectable publication.

News came in earlier today that the Jerusalem Post fired Larry Derfner, its last remaining prominent progressive columnist, over a post Larry wrote on his private blog, Israel Reconsidered (proper disclosure: I joined him as a co-author on the blog a few months ago). In the post, Larry expressed the not uncommon observation that the root cause of Palestinian political violence was the violence of the occupation; he called on his readers to state boldly that “..the Palestinians, like every nation living under hostile rule, have the right to fight back, that their terrorism, especially in the face of a rejectionist Israeli government, is justified,” and argued that “if those who oppose the occupation acknowledged publicly that it justifies Palestinian terrorism, then those who support the occupation would have to explain why it doesn’t.”

“But while I think the Palestinians have the right to use terrorism against us, I don’t want them to use it, I don’t want to see Israelis killed, and as an Israeli, I would do whatever was necessary to stop a Palestinian, oppressed or not, from killing one of my countrymen. (I also think Palestinian terrorism backfires, it turns people away from them and generates sympathy for Israel and the occupation, so I’m against terrorism on a practical level, too, but that’s besides the point.) The possibility that Israel’s enemies could use my or anybody else’s justification of terror for their campaign is a daunting one; I wouldn’t like to see this column quoted on a pro-Hamas website, and I realize it could happen.”

Despite all that, Derfner came under a not so much a wave of criticism as a sustained barrage of refuse; one characteristically repellent example can be found in the column of his erstwhile colleague Isi Leibler (assuming you haven’t had your lunch yet.) Although Larry’s post didn’t appear in the newspaper, and although he already apologised on the blog and removed the offending text, Larry offered to publish an apology on the Jpost pages as well, after it got “hundreds of notices of cancellations.” Apparently, “a logistical mix-up prevented it.”

Larry’s main thesis – that Palestinian terrorism is bound to Israeli military violence – is about as old as the state, if not older; even Moshe Dayan has said as much. I strongly disagree with the phrasing – I myself wouldn’t use “right” or “justified” anywhere near violence against civilians, be it Palestinians killing Israelis, Soviet Partisans killing German civilians, Algiers guerrila blowing up cafes, or Yitzhak Shamir and Menachem Begin blowing up Arab marketplaces. Still, the dismissal, despite offers to retract and apologise, is an outrage that dwarfs any conceivable damage caused by Larry’s text. Unfortunate phrasing of an unpleasant argument on a third-party forum cannot be a reason for the dismissal of a veteran columnist; but obviously, for the Jerusalem Post it was more than enough of an excuse.

Larry’s dismissal is made all the more obscene by virtue of the light it sheds on the egregious double-standard that once-professional publication now employs in regard to conservative versus liberal opinion; I say that as someone who fondly remembers the fairly conservative op-ed editor of my own time at the Post soliciting op-ed pieces he openly disagreed with. Larry worries his post might end up on some Hamas website. This is yet to occur, and even if it does take place, it’s doubtful it would influence the decision of any young Palestinian whether to become a terrorist or not. By contrast, the writings of Jerusalem Post deputy-editor Caroline Glick were cited in the manic manifesto of Norwegian terrorist Anders Brevik in justification of the bloodbath he executed earlier this summer; unlike Derfner, Glick has yet to be shown the door.

Moreover, right after the Norway carnage the Jerusalem Post published an outlandish editorial suggesting the calculated, murderous rampage of a self-confessed xenophobe was an opportunity for Norway to revisit its immigration policy. The editorial was so beyond the pale the Post only put it up on the website with a disclaimer, and sparked such an outrage in Norway the newspaper had to spend another editorial on an apology; to my knowledge, all of those responsible for this serialised farce kept their jobs. Not so for Derfner.

Now, I’m not suggesting Glick and the author of that editorial (assuming they’re not the same person) should be fired for their opinions. There are many other reasons not to retain Glick’s services. Serious complaints of her conservative column’s ultra-liberal attitude to facts should be a warning sign for any reader; her suggestions regarding the possibility of an alliance between Israel and the Vatican, instead of fickle, fickle USA, are enough to give anybody pause; and as far as embarrassing appearances outside the Jpost go, her responsibility for a “satirical” clip showing a blackface minstrel Barack Obama singing to Israel’s destruction is hard to forget.

Yet Glick’s right to express even the strangest and most obsolete of opinion from the pages of what publication would have her remains in place and should not be infringed upon. Opinion is up there to be read, to be disagreed with and to be criticised; this is the fundamental principle of op-ed pages. The Jerusalem Post has obviously sunk so low and became wedded to Glenn-Beck-type readership so tightly it now applies this principle to conservative opinion only. Pity. It used to be a newspaper once.

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COMMENTS

Larry added a great deal to the Jerusalem Post, and as you pointed out, MANY others have written articles that intentionally violate all sense of human decency there.

Larry did step on the rail though. In his apology he did distinguish, amazingly sincerely, what he felt his mistake was, primarily to use language that implied active justification for terror and violence against Israelis, in contrast to his actual sentiment of sympathetic understanding of Palestinian’s frustrations.

I believe that the Post thought of Larry’s column as an experiment. I hope that it won’t be the last.

Dimi,
I hope that you will continue to post at Israel Reconsidered, and address some of the fundamental questions that he and Richard Silverstein originally partnered for.

Reply to Comment

aristeides

MondayAugust 29, 2011

More apologies. This is the sort of false apology that equates to confession under torture – “Don’t hurt me anymore, I’ll sign!”

“I’m sorry I told the truth, I’ll never do it again!”

Reply to Comment

Max

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Not to take away from Larry’s prestige, but he wasn’t the only progressive voice, unless there is some reason to exclude Gershon Baskin that I’m not aware of.

Reply to Comment

AngelaJerusalem

MondayAugust 29, 2011

David Horovitz resigned early July 2011 as JPost’s editor-in-chief, so should one see this, perhaps, in context of new editor, Steve Linde’s policy change? i.e. The Jerusalem Post lurching further right-wing? Oh for the days when it was a left-wing newspaper – before the Revolution when 17 staffers left on one day and its new owners banned what was said to be strengthening Arafat in Lebanon.

Sad day when Larry Derfner’s no longer the voice of sanity in that publication. Wikipedia must be edited: at present it states “Today the Post features columns and opinion articles spanning the political spectrum, from Caroline Glick on the right to Larry Derfner on the left.”

Reply to Comment

Aaron

MondayAugust 29, 2011

“There are many other reasons not to retain Glick’s services.” Dimi, for the good of the left wing this woman must always be allowed to publish her opinions in their fullest detail.

I can’t figure out why “progressives” need adopt immoral criminal speech and presume that freedom of expression covers that, unless they think there’s a really large crowd that has the clout to aid them or a large crowd of idiots who will champion the vilest of opinions. But to the point, there is no comparison between Derfner’s justification of a right of resistance terror against Israeli civilians and the “rightwing” examples you note. And, btw, his entire thesis is untenable simply thorugh the facts of the history Derfner can’t get right.

Reply to Comment

mick

MondayAugust 29, 2011

BAWWWWWWWWWW MOAR

Reply to Comment

Kernod

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Sitting outside of Israel, away from its constant anti-Palestinian propaganda, it is obvious that Israel is by far the terrorist. Any comparison between the level of Israeli violence through its various channels (settlers, the IDF, the police, and various other para-military official, private, and semi-private organizations) and these desperate acts of deranged individuals or, at best, these splinter groups responsible for the rocket attacks from Gaza is laughable.

Seriously, Israel attacks Palestinians on a daily basis with all the strength of a world class military power, and some asshole ramming and stabbing a few people in Tel-Aviv makes a difference? What planet are these people living on?

The Israelis are so caught up in their perpetual illusion of being victims, that the absurdity of the situation — obvious to so many – completely escapes them.

Reply to Comment

Borg

MondayAugust 29, 2011

I hope he leaves Israel and volunteers his services for Iranian Press TV. He was never truly appreciated at JPOst

Reply to Comment

Danny

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Well, now JP can truly be “fair and balanced”. It’s a settler-centric rag with little or no room for leftist views. Consider this dismissal to be a compliment, Larry.

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David

MondayAugust 29, 2011

The irony is, I’ve read enough of Larry Derfner’s posts to know that he didn’t even mean it. But in the post he was absolutely right. Every occupied people has the right to oppose the occupier. Basic American history. Circa 1776.

Reply to Comment

Ben Israel

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Regarding the main editorials of the JPOST, new editor Steve Linde takes a line MUCH further to the Left than did his predecessor, David Horowitz. Same as Ha’aretz. The old “it is time for the both the Palestinians and Israelis to get serious and negotiate”. He gave a very positive review of a book by far Leftist Hirsch Goodman which replays the old litany “Israel can make peace with the Palestinians if it wants to and then no Arab state would have any legitimacy to be anti-Israel”, blah, blah, blah. This sort of nonsense has been rejected by most Israelis long ago, but apparently Linde’s bosses want this line.

Reply to Comment

Don

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Really sad indeed. Another example of the ‘israeli delusion’. I hope it isn’t too late for the americans to realise they are in partnership with no future.

Reply to Comment

Larry Snider

MondayAugust 29, 2011

I was born on the left, live my life there and some day in the future, (distant hopefully), will die there. I wrote the following response to Isi Leibler this AM:

Dear Isi,

It is hard to find the original posting, (The awful, necessary truth about Palestinian terror), which I hadn’t seen, (but I did). I’ve read your response, that of Jonathan Tobin and a few others. Terror is simply not acceptable. Making room for it as someone ostensibly representing the left or right removes any standard of justice and makes every civilian in the world into a target. It is easy to enlarge blame beyond the scope of Larry Derfner to the Left he tries to represent. But in an age of 24/7 instant media we are all increasingly invited to view the rantings of those undisciplined enough to push the send button before they utilize the common sense G-d gave them. Mr Derfner does not speak for me…

Shana Tova,
Larry Snider

Reply to Comment

Inside information

MondayAugust 29, 2011

I have it from a first-hand source that Larry’s dismissal was on order of the owner, it was not a decision made by the editors. This was actually rather unusual, since, while the owner makes Scrooge look generous, he has rarely gotten involved in “political” questions such as this.

It’s too bad, because Larry’s features were generally excellent, interesting, and balanced, too. I’d rarely seen anyone who could maintain the divide between opinion and reporting the way he did.

Unfortunately, his columns simply ignored many historical facts to make his arguments, something that the average reader wouldn’t know.

And Dimi, please. The Palestinian terror of 1929 wasn’t exactly “bound to Israeli military violence” and the PLO was founded in 1964, before the “occupation.” It’s that kind of lack of historical context that simply makes the bottom fall out of your thesis. Larry, unfortunately, would exhibit the same kind of “amnesia.”

Inside Information: The PLO was founded by Palestinians who were made refugees in 1948. For the 800,000+ Palestinians routed from their homes during the conflict Israelis call their war of independence, the occupation (no scare quotes) started in 1948 – when they lost their homes and were forced into exile.

Reply to Comment

Naftali

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Great that they fired him, and it was the public that asked them to do so. You know, the readers the people for whom you hold total contempt. Now I am waiting for Israelis to realize what the people at +972 are up too. I want your neighbours to know that they live next to someone who advocates boycotting them and who supports the terrorists who want to murder them

Reply to Comment

Naftali

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Lisa, thanks for the history lesson. Can you also tell us why and how they were made refugees in 1948? Did someone just wake up one day and say, hey, let’s make the Palestinians refugees, then we’ll got for coffee at Kassit. I seem to recall there was a war meant to extinguish and destroy the nascent Jewish state.

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Parah Salin

MondayAugust 29, 2011

He could have quoted UN text for the right to defense (it says just about the same thing), and not call it defensive violence terrorism. t’s such a loaded word that has lost all meaning.

So much for that vibrant democracy. The Rabbi that wrong the Kngs Torah didn’t lose his taxpayer funded job for his racist and violent screed that gives guidance to soldiers on how to actually conduct themselves.

Can he talk to a lawyer? It seems like a violation of his right to free speech that wasn’t actually connected to his work.

Reply to Comment

Daniel Marks

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Why would he want to apologize for saying something that he genuinely believes? Larry is/was being paid to write his honest opinion and that is what he should continue to do.

If his point of view does not please the JP, let them sack him. He could have left with his head held high knowing that he did not betray his principles. Instead, he retracted his article, apologized and got sacked anyway. Truly, a Greek tragedy!

Reply to Comment

Parah Salin

MondayAugust 29, 2011

@NAFTALI, See “Plan Dalet”, its the original blue print.

Reply to Comment

Ben Israel

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Lisa-
Your version of the history of the PLO is not as I have heard it. The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in 1964 by Nasser and its first head was Ahmed Shukeiri (sp?). It is true that that FATAH guerrilla organization, headed by Arafat was founded in 1959, but it didn’t view itself as political representative of the Palestinians at the time, it viewed itself as a fighting force. Arafat took over the PLO after the Six-Day War IIRC. There was some sort of Palestinian political entity after 1948 which was headed by the Mufti, but it never had any real legitimacy and it disappeared.

Reply to Comment

Mitchell Cohen

MondayAugust 29, 2011

Aside from the fact that what Larry Derfner posted on his blog is disgusting (justifying terrorism against fellow Israeli CIVILIANS, even if later saying, “it is not a good idea and would ‘backfire’ for the Palestinians”), it was outright STUPID. Either he thought not too many readers of the Post would see what he wrote on his blog or that if they did he would still have a job at a Zionist paper.

Yes, the JPost made the right decision by firing him. Not because he is left-wing (and he was not the last “progressive” columnist at the JPost – Alon Ben Meir, Uri Savnery, amongst others). There are left-wing columnists who I respect and I even enjoyed Larry Derfner’s articles until he crossed this red-line.

And, as one who has read all the Hebrew and English speaking papers there are to read in Israel, I can HONESTLY say the JPost is the most balanced (not perfect, but about as close to center as a paper can be). The JPost a “settler’s rag”? Please….And Ha’aretz doesn’t have an agenda? Give me a break.

“I don’t want to see Israelis killed, and as an Israeli, I would do whatever was necessary to stop a Palestinian, oppressed or not, from killing one of my countrymen”
whatever was necessary… That says it all, no? If it works for Jews, it works for Palestinians.
All Larry did was to look at both sides, that was his crime.

Reply to Comment

Mitchell Cohen

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Englebert Luitsz, I read his whole article and I stand by what I said….

Reply to Comment

Sylvia

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Curiously, while decrying the Jerusalem Post’s censorship of Larry Derfner, Dimi Reider is himself censoring Larry Derfner. The very words for which he was fired are nowhere to be found in Dimi Reider’s otherwise brilliant apology.
.
here is the whole paragraph, wwithout addition or omission:
“I think a lot of people who realize that the occupation is wrong also realize that the Palestinians have the right to resist it – to use violence against Israelis, even to kill Israelis, especially when Israel is showing zero willingness to end the occupation, which has been the case since the Netanyahu government took over (among other times in the past).”
.
Larry Derfner who lives with his children in cozy and safe Modi’in, supports the right to “kill israelis” – down to the last child in Sderot or South Ashkelon.
He would never have said that had it crossed his mind for a split second that a rocket could explode into his children’s bedroom.
THAT is what should be under discussion. Who are those civilians Larry Derfner so generously volunteers to be rocket and mortar fodder? Certainly not him or his.

Sylvia, Larry clearly stated that he was very unhappy with the word “right”. Anyone except completely self-centered Zionists would read it as “Palestinians will be provoqued to resist it”. (only from their perspective it would seem right of course).

Reply to Comment

sh

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

For once a journalist who didn’t mince words. A perfect counterweight to Caroline Glick. That he was fired is outrageous and confirms the decline of what was once a decent newspaper. How many of those do we have left?

It is a Greek tragedy. A tragic flaw, not unusual for us in the real world.

Larry’s apology was sincere, and was used to clarify that the did NOT mean to advocate for active terror on civilians, or general violence against Israelis.

He did mean to assertively convey that Palestinians are human beings, and that their sentiments of objection/resistance to individual injustices are understandable, expectable, sentiments.

That, if Israel changed its policies and practices, that that was the action that would primarily change the degree and intensity of violence against Israelis, MUCH MUCH moreso than additional “security” measures.

He went too far with language, which he acknowledged. I believe that his personal process was that he realized that he had offended those that he knew and respected, and realized that he had made an error. NOT that he was forced, though I’m certain that he received many angry comments.

Reply to Comment

Jill

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Will you also stand up and defend the right of Jews to call for the mass murders of Arabs, in the name of freedom of speechh of course?

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Brad Brzezinski

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Suggestion 1: The use of terrorism should NEVER be openly accepted as fully justified and, condoning its use should be subject to strict conditions applicable to exceptional circumstances. Israel’s execution of Eichmann illustrates the concept of legalising something taboo for a specific reason.

Suggestion 2: The desire to see the point of view of the other side is a wonderful characteristic of a free society. If Arabs and Muslims were as free and willing to understand Israel, this entire “problem” would never have arisen.

Reply to Comment

dsch

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

You can’t compare Derfner’s column with Glick’s unless you hate right-wing opinion period. The Post regularly publishes columns by Gershon Baskin, Ray Hanania, Alon Ben Meir, Jeff Barak, and others left of center. Those are articulate and well-written even if I disagree with them. The difference is that Derfner’s columns were no better than insult-fests of anyone to the right of Yossi Beilin. They were no more journalistic in character than a mediocre angry blogger banging his thoughts on a keyboard. They were rarely better quality than a talkback with proper spelling. His research was shoddy at best, if existing at all. His overwhelming theme was that anyone to his right was a raving Neanderthal lunatic. There was nothing to debate there. Good riddance to his ranting drivel.

Reply to Comment

Palestinian

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians(colonizers) or soldiers is terrorism but Israeli violence against the natives or militants is …? military operation .Dont Palestinians have the right to “do whatever is necessary” to stop the colonizer from settling in their land?

Who are the Israeli civilians ? Settlers ? teenagers serving in the army ? organizations and rich individuals building settlements and judaizing every single spot in Palestine? former IDf members ? Shabak members ? Mistaravim ? current IDf members ? politicians and leaders in suits and skirts giving orders to murder the Aravim ?blogger and writers advertising lies and hasbara ?archaeologists stealing the Palestinian history and manipulating facts ?Companies that cooperate with the army ? or maybe those “peaceful” Jews calling for the expulsion of the 1.3 million natives ? any Israeli who is “NOT” one of the above then he/she is a civilian and killing him/her is an act of terror.

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Vickie

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

1. Palestinians have a right to defend themselves by any means necessary.
2. If Israelis want the violence to end, they need only provide equal rights and protections for every Palestinian and recognize our right of return…we’re just asking for our UN protected rights…one person, one vote.
3. We can go back and forth about who did what to whom. However, as readily as Palestinians are willing to take responsibility for their actions, I constantly hear Israelis denying their own crimes. When Hamas blows something up, they say, hey, I blew that up. When Israelis blow something up, you say, Hey, we retaliated. Well, Israel’s “retaliation” against rock throwers necessitated the creation of a PLO, FATAH, and HAMAS.

Many of you expressed the view that Israel has been so incredibly generous to the Palestinians, offering them x or y in exchange for their rights and identity. Palestinians are not your dogs to throw scraps and expect obedience. Palestinians are not a rabid dog that refuses to be broken.

Palestinians are a people who deserve their right to exist on their land. Start with that fact and see where it takes you.

Reply to Comment

Brad Brzezinski

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Vickie: Terrorist attacks are not defence; they necessitate retaliation, make talking harder or impossible and increase the likelihood that when a Palestinain State is established it will be beset by armed gangs.

What’s your view of the Arab countries that incited for war from 1948 to 1973, kicked out their Jews and keep Arab refugees in a state that can legitimately be described as Apartheid? How about the P.A. that encourages this behaviour towards Palestinian Arab refugees?

Reply to Comment

vickie

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

1. it is the Israeli government that is the real terrorist and what necessitated the creation of paramilitary forces. I know Israel’s plan was that we would just go away…but we didn’t.
2. israel incited war by massacring villages before its inception. Zionists who came in the 19th and 20th centuries didn’t do so to be absorbed into the country and culture, to become apart of what was there. They came to take over the land despite who lived there. Zionists thought that the Palestinians were a servile people who would just adopt Judaism or run off some place else. Whatever you thought, Israel didn’t really care for the humanity that existed there, just the one they wanted to implant. stop rewriting history.
3. and it is well documented that the israelis instigated problems between the Arab Jewish communities in these areas well into the establishment of Israel to create an us vs. them situation.
4. Palestinians are not Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Kuwaiti, or Egyptian, nor do we want to be. We want to return to our homes in Palestine. We are still ‘fellah’ even with our degrees.
5. Pre-Israel Palestinians never considered themselves Arab. They considered themselves ‘fellah’, people of the land, our land. Arabs were the desert nomadic peoples. Not the same group.
6. Indeed, Jordan/Lebanon/Kuwait are a bunch of jerks for their purges and massacres of Palestinians, treating them as second class citizens. But Palestinians wouldn’t be in those countries being massacred by our hosts if Israel didn’t steal our land through rape, massacres and genocide.

The common denominator for all this woe is but one.

Reply to Comment

pinchas baram

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

This comment was deleted due to offensive language, violence and threats, and sounding like something out of Doom II.

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Brad Brzezinski

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Vickie: You have an interesting view of history. You are certainly worong on one point.

“Zionists thought that the Palestinians … would just adopt Judaism…”

Like the Druze, Jews think themselves a chosen people. This means that they do not seek converts. This accounts for the small size of both groups as well as other characteristics.

I suspect some of your other facts might also be a little off. ‘Rape,’ ‘genocide’ hmm.

Reply to Comment

s. weiss

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

This comment was deleted because it was a personal attack on Larry Derfner. The editors of +972 Magazine will not tolerate any personal attacks or the use of violent language. Please read our comment policy for details.

Reply to Comment

Dan

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

What is with the comparison to Glick? Derfner’s outrageous statement stands and is judged on its own. Even in America, Helen Thomas had to go for saying indefensible things. An apology mitigates but does not excuse or allow him to continue in a responsible job he does not deserve.

As for Glick, its not her fault a nutjob in Norway quoted her– she does not control that, as should be obvious to liberals and conservatives. The attempt to invoke her name is a distractor from the issues at hand with Derfner, as also should be obvious.

Glick needs to be judged for her analysis– which is uniquely pro-Israel in this insane world in which Zionism is redefined and mis-analyzed by pseudo-historians at supposedly great institutions of learning who tow the party line of anti-Semitism to get promoted.

In summary, Derfner was not fired for being left of center. He was fired for saying outlandish and indefensible things.

This comment was edited; a personal attack was deleted.

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Dorn L

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

The J Post has actually gone left, not right, under Linde. It still has Gershon Baskin, Ray Hanania, and others punting Palestinian views. I shall be happy to read Leibler, Glick, and Baskin – but fortunately no more of Derfner.

Edited for personal attacks.

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dave

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Comment deleted: irrelevant.

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Jacob

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

You (and Larry) “forgot” that the terrorist activity of Palestinian Arabs started 19 years before the 1967 war. It had nothing to do with the occupation and everything to do with their objection to the existence of Israel. The Hamas continues with that ideology to this day.
It appears that if you are “progressive” enough you can disregard facts…

Reply to Comment

Brad Brzezinski

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

As a new visitor here, I can’t help but notice the frequent editing and deletion of comments on a post about free speech.

context is everything. prior to his blog that purportedly ignited his firing larry was on the wrong side of virtually every issue that matters to most israelis (some of us in the u.s.) while the author referred to larry as a progressive I would think other appellations would be more appropriate such as: anachronistic; out of touch; delusional in his never ending, pedantic ravings about the israeli government and the idf.
in so far as caroline glick is concerned I make no apologies for her. indeed, she is one of jpost’s best writers w/ a wide following in the u.s.
I often struggled with the intellectual vacuity of larry’s columns. happily, I don’t have to see them any longer. good riddance.

Jacob “It had nothing to do with the occupation and everything to do with their objection to the existence of Israel.”
I think you are very right there. But not the existence of Israel per se, they object to the way they were and are treated by Israel. The Romans were the original terrorists no? Why not address your complaints at Berlusconi? Who started what and when is the most lame excuse for the ethnic cleansing. Grow up.

Reply to Comment

Palestinian

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

@ Jacob , the Palestinian resistance has started as a result of the Jewish terrorism.Dont expect the natives to welcome terrorist militia groups and greedy unwanted immigrants.

Reply to Comment

Brad Brzezinski

TuesdayAugust 30, 2011

Lisa: Reading the policy (even if I could find it) would not help because I’d have to also read what’s been deleted. I made the point though because of the exuberant nature of deletions for things like irrelevance; that might just be subjective.

I suppose too that the JPost could have some rules setting limits on the conduct of their writers.

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Dimi Reider is an Israeli journalist and an Associate Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). His work has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Haaretz, Daily Beast, Jerusalem Post and Index on Censorship. Over the past two years, Dimi’s blog on +972 has also been quoted and referenced by the following publications:

About +972 Magazine

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.

+972 is an independent, blog-based web magazine. It was launched in August 2010, resulting from a merger of a number of popular English-language blogs dealing with life and politics in Israel and Palestine.